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How To Hang A Print
To
enliven a new home or brighten a room, nothing
adds colour and the right mood as a framed
photograph, an art print or a museum poster.
Whether as a housewarming gift, college
dorm wall art, or simply to enliven a drab
cubicle wall at the office, the right print
provides a welcomed focus point for any
room. As a photographer, your framed photographs
can also serve as a portfolio of your work
to colleagues (many photographers hang a
print in their cubicle and sell to their
colleagues this way), friends and neighbours.
Here are a few helpful hints on how to safely hang a print for maximum enjoyment.
 Height
The best height to hang a poster or print
is at eye level.
Position the print such
that the center of the print is at your
eye level or just a little below.
Hang your
print too high and you'll have to crane
your neck up to look at it; hang it too
low, and it just looks funny.
Horizontal or Vertical
Consider a wide print on the wall above
the sofa. A horizontal rectangle makes that
wall look wider.
Likewise, consider a narrow
tall print besides a window. A vertical
rectangle makes the window look taller.
Frame Colour
Concerning frame colour, the rule of thumb
is to match the colour of the frame with
the dominant colour on the print (i.e. the
colour covering most of the print).
This
is especially effective if there is a white
border around your print. The complementary
colour of the frame holds the picture together.
On the other hand, avoid a contrasting frame
for it will draw attention away from the
picture.
Maximum Impact
Breaking the rule of thumb above can be
very effective if you know what you are
doing! In this case, what you want to do
is to look for the one part of the picture
you want to draw attention to: say it is
a single tree with reddish autumn leaves
in a vast expanse of landscape. Match your
frame colour to the red colour of the foliage
(e.g. choosing a rich red wood frame); this
will immediately draw attention to the tree.
When to use a Black Frame
If your print is a night scene, or if the
scene is mostly dark (e.g. sunset, sunrise),
a black frame may just be the right one
to keep the focus on the picture and not
the frame.
How Many Prints
Hanging too many prints of different types
in the same room or on the same wall can
be jarring to the senses.
Select a theme,
and choose your prints around it.
Select
one very large print to be the focal point
of the room, and accent this with framed
pictures or you can even use a matching illustrated
book on the coffee table.
A vase of flowers
with colours echoing the colours on your
print will enhance and give a 3D effect
to your decorating efforts.
Frame your print for a Gallery Effect
A doorway makes a great natural frame.
If
there is a wall facing the doorway, hang
an appropriate sized print on that wall
-- centered and framed by the doorway --
for a gallery effect.
Use Mirrors Effectively
Don't forget the reflective power of mirrors.
When you look into
a mirror on one of your walls, what do you
see reflected? A museum art poster placed
strategically on a wall across from the
mirror can be candy to the eyes.
Inspirational, Not!
Inspirational posters have become more or less a staple in many offices -- and the laughing stock od employees.
You do not need inspirational posters to inspire your staff: what you need is to set the example by your leadership.
The messages in the inspitational posters quickly become
stale and lose their effectiveness.
In fact,employees start to resent these posters
as managerial "in-your-face" reminders and
so these achieve the very opposite effect
of what is desired.
Instead, consider theart itself minus the "inspirational"message. Employees will appreciate the
effort you make to enliven their (personal)
work space (why not let each employee select
one for his or her cubicle/office)?
For example, for a first-year thank-you, forego
the framed certificate of appreciation (that
no one appreciates receiving if you ask
them to be truthful about it) -- let them
select a framed art print instead.
Be different, be original!
Think Safety
A framed print can be heavy and can hurt a
child (or even an adult) if it falls on
him or her.
So, please use the right hooks to hang your framed prints. Ensure
the hooks are strong enough
to hold the framed print. Also, ensure the
hooks are held securely into the wall.
Because of this danger, however good it may look,
refrain from hanging framed prints over
a bed or play area. Children jumping on
the bed, banging on the wall, and otherwise
accidentally moving the print off its hooks
during play, can inadvertently dislodge
the print and get hurt from its fall.
Use common sense when decorating your rooms:
Better be safe than sorry.
Useful Links:
Artwork in Large Rooms
28 Tips For Hanging Art
9 Ways to Create a Focal Point in a Room
Decorative Solutions Using Art
Artwork on a Budget
Any of our recommended prints below, framed,
will make a special gift appreciated by
old and young alike. Or, use the SEARCH
button below to find that special art poster
or print you are looking for.
Note: You can now also get your favourite art
on a T-Shirt! See the ad at the top of the
page.
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